Entrainment trap



J. w. MONTGOMERY ENTRAINMENT TRAP Filed Sept. 16, '1929' A ril 12, 1932.

Patented Apr. 12, 1932 i r i i Nirso STATES PATENT mm,

JAMES w. MONTGOMERY, or ELEELE, KAUAI, TERRITORY OF HAWAII ENTRAINMENT TRAP Application filed September 16, 1929.; SerialNo. 393,090. g

The invention relates to means for separat- The presentinvention is designed to overing-foreign material such as liquids and solcome the entrainment of liquid in vapors due ids fromvapors, and more particularly to a to any of the'aforesaid causes, and'to provide form of apparatus for removing entrained means for separating the entrained liquid liquids and the like from the vapors profrom the vapors and to return the liquid to 5 duced in vacuum pans, evaporators and the the boilingsection'ofjthe evaporator.-

' like employed in the sugar industry, to which Referring to the drawings, 1f indicates a end the novel device involves aconduit setypical form ofevaporator, commonly emcured to the inner wall of the vapor chamber ployed in boiling sugar uices, and 2indi- 3 and having a slotted opening adjacent said. cates the vapor discharge pipe located at the 60 wall, so that liquids tending to creep up the top of the evaporator. Secured to the intewall will be deflected intothe conduit and rior' wall of the evaporator, preferably by will be drained from the latterby asuitable welding or riveting, is a conduit 3, which arrangement of piping, the aforesaid appamay take the form of an annular pipe, pro- 1.1 ratus preferably being associated with an invided with a peripheral slot 4 located above 05 verted cone-shaped plate located below the the bottom of the conduit and immediately 7 outlet of the evaporator and of somewhat less adj acent the wall of the'evaporator, so that 7 diameter than the latter, which is also proany liquid tending to creep up the wall of vided with a drain pipe, preferably connected the evaporator, passes into theconduit f with the piping from the conduit aforesaid, through the slotted opening 4 therein and is 7o to direct the liquid back into theboiler secdischarged from the conduit by means of tion of the evaporator. I pipes 5 connected to the bottom ofthe conduit. 7 The invention is illustrated in the accom-- Preferably, in order to prevent a blind pockpanying drawings, in which; -et above the annular conduit, the latter is I r Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of an evapprovided with apron-like filler section 6,

orator havlng the entrainment trap associwhich is secured to the upper surface of the ated therewith. 7 conduit 3 and to the wall of the-evaporator. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan View of one Associated with the entrainment trap 3,

of the conduit members of the entrainment which is preferably located well above the 1 trap. a .7 surface of the boiling liquid in the evapora- 30 Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation thereof. tor, and serving as a means forarresting and Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to 2 and 3, separating the liquid carried in the rising illustrating a modification of the conduit. 1 column of vapor, is an inverted conicalplate As stated, the apparatus is designed to sep- 7, which is located above the trap 3. andbe- 5 arate liquids or solids from the vapors generlow the outlet 2 of the evaporator, said plate. 5

. ated in an evaporator or heater. It is a well 7 being of somewhat less diameter than the known fact that, when liquid is vaporized, evaporator and, therefore, providing a .rethere is a general tendency for liquids or solstricted annularpassage between the'periph- 'ids to be entrained or carried over with the ery of the plate and the wall of the evap- 4 vapors. This phenomenon is usually ascribed orator. The plate 7 is conveniently suspendto: 1, the liquid creeping up the walls of the ed from the top ofthe evaporator by rods 8 evaporator, due to capillarity; 2, the forma-' which hold the plate rigidly-centered within tionof bubbles, which when the velocity of the evaporator. The lowermostportion of the vapors exerts a force equal tothe weight the inverted conical plate v7 communicates F of the bubbles, causes the latter to be carried j with the central discharge pipe 9, to. which forward with the vapor, which .action isv the several pipes 5 leading fromthe annular known as vesicular transference; 3, the boiltrap No. 3 are connected by suitable couing liquid tends to cause the latter to splash plings, the pipe 9 extending into the lower into the vapor'discharge. pipe, whence; it'is portion of the' evaporator to deliver the sepcarried forward. Y r arated liquid back into the body ofthe boiling liquid. Preferably a second tubular trap member is located above the inverted conical plate 7, said trap member being in all respects similar to that heretofore described and comprising a tubular conduit 3 having a slotted opening 4: adjacent the wall of the vaporizer and being provided at intervals with drain pipes5" which connect with the central discharge drain pipe 9. This annular conduit is also provided with an apron-like piece 6 connectedto' the upper portion'thereof and to the wall or the evaporator. V

In operation, any of the liquid which tends to creep up the lower portion ofthe wall of the evaporator, will be trapped by the annu- Iar conduit 3 and will be'returne'd bythe connected pipes 5' and 9 to the body of the liquid in the lower portion of the evaporator. How were considerable quantity of liquid may be carried teeny inthe upward flow of vapor and, as the latter strikes the bottom of the inverted plate 7, it will be deflected towards the sides of the evaporator. In passing through the relatively narrow annular space between the peripheral edge of the cone 7 teat-he wall 6f the evaporator, the velocity efthevap-ere will be greatly increased and a large proportion of the liquid carried by the vepe'r'swin be thrown against the wall of the evaporator and, upon creeping up the wall,

it will he caught by the upper tubular conduit formedtherein adjacent the j unc'tion'of the conduit with the walls of the evaporator.

a; from which it is drained by the pipes 5" intothe common discharge pipe 9. Upon passing into the space above the inverted conical plate 7', the velocity of the vapors will be considerably lowered and the particles (if liquid-,su'ch as sugar juice, that ma still be entraieeclinthe va 'ere will fall on o the upper surface or the cone will be returned to the main body of the liquid by the common drain pipe 9. The several pipes 5 and 9 are preferably provided with cone-like flanges 10 end'n, whi'clip'revent the liquid creeping on the outer surface of said pipes;

The provision of the inverted cone 7 in the relatien indicated, is'the reverse of the usual umbrella or cone employed in evaporatore, and the present arran ement is much more efficient in that it materially reduces frictional resistance to the vapor current, and arfords' an effective surface upon which any bubbles will be readily broken.

As'indicated the simplest form of the conduit niember of the entrainment trap com- 455' prises a pipe bent to the form of a ring or annulus to fit the interior wall of the evaporator, saidpipe having a peripheral slot However under certain conditions it may be found advantageeus tocons'tru'ct the'conduit or a special formsuch as illustrated in Figs.

rend 5; iii which the body of the annular con-' extending wall 15 to provide a continuous annular slotted opening 17, the wall section 14: also serving as a means for securing the conduit to the inner wall of the evaporator either by Welding or riveting. A filler strip 16 is secured between the upper surface of the pipe 13 and the wall of the evaporator to prevent the formation of a pocket in which foreign material would tend to accumulate. This particular form of conduit is disposed and arran'g'e'd'in a manner precisely similar to that heretofore described, and is adapted to be connected at intervals to pipes 5 which are in turn connected with a common central discharge pipe.

What I claim is 2- l 1.. Alli entrainment trap', comprisingla t-ubular c'ondu'it extending circumferentiall-y arollnd the inner periphery of the wall of a vapor chamber and secured directly to said wall throughout its length and having a slot extending throughout its length above its bottom and contiguous to said wall, and means for draining said conduit, the diameter of said c'oli'c'luit being of such size relative to the internal diameter or" said vapor chamber as to allow substantially unobstructed flow of vapor through said chamber.

21in entrainment trap, comprising a tubular colldllit extending c'ircumferentially around the inner periphery of the wall of a ve erehamber andeeeure'd directly to said wall throughout its length andhaving a slot extending throughout its length above its batters and centiguou's tosaid wall, ipes connected to the bottom of said conduit for draining the latter, thed-iameter of said conduit being of such size relative to the internal diameter of said vapor chamber as to allow substantially til'lobstructedflow of vapor through said chamber.

3. An entrainment trap for evapdrators, comprising 'a'tubular co'nduit extending cireelr'iferentially around the inner peri her of the wall of a vapor chamber and secured directly to said wall throl'lg hou't its length and having a slot extending throughout its length above its bottem and contiguous to said wall, ailinverted 'c'o'nic'al plate of less diameter than the vapor chamber mounted below the ell-nee ofthe latter, andpip'es eo'nneeted to the bottom ofthe conduit and conical plate ter etur'n the separated material to the lower portion of the evaporator, the diposed abeve and below said conical plate,

each ofsaid't'uhular' conduits extending circumferentially around the inner periphery of the wall of the evaporator and secured di rectly to said wall throughout its length and having a slot extending throughout its length above its bottom and contiguous to said wall and drain pipes leading from the bottoms 0 the conical plate and the conduits to the low er portion of the evaporator, the diameters of said conduits being of such size relative to the internal diameter of the evaporator as to allow substantially unobstructed flow, of vapor through said chamber. Y r

In testimon whereof I aflix my si nature.

JA SYW. MONTGO RY. 

